Democrats in Maine are trying to repair a Senate race they badly need after Graham Platner ended his campaign, leaving the party without its primary winner and with little time to settle on a replacement.
Platner suspended his campaign on Wednesday night after a run that had excited parts of the Democratic grassroots but became weighed down by scandal and party resistance. He denied new allegations of sexual assault while acknowledging that he could no longer continue after losing support inside the party.
“The corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury, and executioner,” Platner said in a campaign video that ran a little over 11 minutes. “We live in a political system that is not built for normal people.”
On a call with campaign staff, Platner said he had sought assurances that Democrats would create a replacement process that respected the voters who backed him in the June 9 primary. Minutes before his video was released, the Maine Democratic Party announced that it would hold a nominating convention to choose another candidate.
The race matters because Democrats see Maine as a must-win Senate seat in the midterm elections. Platner’s exit now forces the party to balance two competing pressures: replacing a damaged nominee quickly while avoiding a deeper fight between moderates and the left.
Republicans welcomed the turmoil. The National Republican Senatorial Committee told stakeholders that its snap poll in Maine found most Democrats did not want Platner to quit, arguing that the dispute could help the Republican nominee against whoever Democrats choose next.
For Democrats, the immediate problem is not only who replaces Platner. It is whether the voters who powered his campaign will follow the party to its next candidate.
